dgjks6

Evening all. I have been lurking for a while dreaming about a 911. I was watching one on ebay and my wife bought it for me for father's day, and now I think we made a huge mistake. I would love some input and I have a few questions.

We live in Ohio and the car was in NJ. 1999 Carrera 4 Cab, 6 speed, with 36k miles. My wife purchased the car and after she committed I spoke with the dealer. I have bought many cars in my life and should know better, but here it goes.

I asked if I could get the car inspected and the salesman said no, the car was mint. I asked if it had any leaks or lights on from 3 people at the dealership and they assured me no lights and no leaks. They had their mechanic check it out and it was perfect.

Ok, so $26,000 later (including shipping and taxes and dealer made up charges) the car was delivered. My wife brought it to me at work and first thing I did was check the oil. There was no oil. She had to drive to the auto parts store to get 2 quarts of mobile 1 0w 40 and it brought it up to almost full. I got one key and no manuals. And when I closed the truck I noticed the warning light for open trunk was on. Also the car had multiple dents and scratches. Oh and the previous owner was a smoker ( not a big deal, I can get that out).

So here are the questions

1 - trunk light - is it easy to fix? do you usually have to close the truck pretty hard? There is no latch except the one next to the drivers seat

2 - do I have to go to the dealer to unlock the radio

3 - Am I screwed? Any one know about New Jersey law for used car purchases

4 - anything besides an RMS leak cause the oil to go low

5 - I have the money put aside to so the RMS update and new clutch. Does the RMS get replaced with that? (Porsche specialist an hour from my house that is LN certified will do the IMS and clutch for 2500 - is that about the going rate?)

Sorry for the rambling but I feel like I just got taken. I had dreams of a perfect 996 with 36K miles for $22000 and I am now stuck in reality

morganabowen

You only made one mistake giving them the money without a PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection). You could have backed out anytime before you gave them the $$$. Take it to a mechanic recommended by others here on RL. If the car is in such terrible shape, then you need to contact an attorney in NJ and check out their "Lemon" Law. Good luck Keep in mind, you just purchased a 14 year old car.

Rrrockhound

Check the label under the trunk lid for the radio code...no guarantees, but people sometimes write the code there. That's where I've found mine on 2 different cars. Otherwise, join RennTech.com and Loren will find your code for you. Don't try to force the trunk to latch. Lots of Porsches have dents on the crest from pressing on it with the heel of the hand. And paintless dent repair isn't that expensive.

Lotsa luck. It's normal to have post-purchase remorse. Just hang in there and don't get discouraged.

I'm in Ohio, too. Who is doing your IMS work?

rpm's S2

Two choices:

1. Dig in, fix the stuff that needs fixing and then enjoy the car.

2. Eat the loss and sell the car.

I suspect the money is about the same either way. Whichever you choose, do it and don't look back. Good luck.

fpb111

Which dealer in NJ? NNJRPCA has a dealer liaison that helps members with problems like this. Get another key as soon as you can.

To close the trunk press with both hands between the crest and the edge of the trunk lid, right above the latch. If you press on the crest you will bend it.

Get a can of your favorite wax, clean the car and wax it. You will feel better when you have stroked her flanks.
Oh, and kiss your wife and thank her a bunch. She is definitely a keeper.

dgjks6

Kraftworks is doing the IMS. They are between Akron and Columbus. They can't do it until July, but I can wait.

The car is actually in fair shape for being 14 years old. I have no problems with dents, etc. I expect that, just wish they did not lie about it. The low oil is what concerns me. Body work is cheap compared to an engine. That's why I picked one with only 36,000 miles.

Still love the car. Can't wait to actually drive it, but my wife says it drives like a dream

dgjks6

Dealer in New Jersey was thrift auto sales. Wife agreed on price and detailing package before she told me about it and gave a big deposit.

On the plus side, my wife bought me a Porsche. She may be the greatest wife of all time.

fpb111

Get a filter and some oil and do an oil change. Cut the old filter open and check for debris. That is part of getting acquainted and assessing your new car.

fpb111

Thrift on Ridgedale Ave in Morristown?
Not one of the dealers that NNJR supports.

fpb111

Low oil is probably because they never checked it or if they changed it probably shorted the fill.

Zanzibar Red 996

Your going to be ok
Hang on there and make it work out

dgjks6

Thanks for all the support. I think this is going to be my latest addiction. I was just on yahoo and it had an article about best cars for under $25,000. It had a bunk of econo cars. And I got a 911.

Anyway, more updates. the biggest dent was on the rocker panel behind the drivers wheel. And it is big. I looked at the ebay pictures and it was not there. So the shipper did it. Now the question is can I prove it.

Will a BMW oil filter wrench work for the 996 or do I need a different one?

And mobile 1 0W 40 seems what every one uses.

My whole life every car had 5w30.

Now I have two cars that use 5w20 (Miata and excursion)

and 3 that use 0w-40 mobile 1 (Audi, 535, and the 911)

At least wall mart sells it

fpb111

oil is a personal preference type of thing. There are some oil threads with many hundreds of heated posts. My preference is to use a 5-40 class V oil like Motul 8100XS.

some oil opinions
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...oard=53&page=1


http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1249719

white out

Are you a do it yourself person or send to dealer person?

1. Give the car a oil change and new filter immediately.
2. Go to RennTech.org and do a search for radio codes, there's a thread.
3. Low oil: bad AOS, long time since oil change, person not paying attention while doing oil change, ringlands, leak somewhere, etc
4. make sure the trunk is closed and completely down, mine takes more effort than I expected to fully latch.

You got a 996 with 33k miles for $22k, that's not a bad deal. You just have to work through some unforeseen issues. PPI isn't always required, it's just a nice way to know exactly what you're getting into. I too didn't get a PPI on my 996 (or Lambo, or Viper, or M3 or. . . ) and have found some things along the way, but nothing major.

dgjks6

Thanks for the replies. Does the AOS burn through oil quickly?

I usually try things myself first. The IMS seemed above my head though. I can't imagine bad rings at 36K. It was 2 quarts low. And the oil was brown and not black when I checked it. I assume this means the oil is new.

I got my fingers crossed it is just low from lack of adding oil. I had to work all night last night and until 5pm today so the only time I have seen the car is when my wife drove it to my work yesterday. I hope that no damage was done driving with low oil for 14 miles. The oil pressure was good but I know that does not mean much. It is killing me to get home and actually see if there is a leak.